A recent data analysis has indicated that customer dissatisfaction with quick-service restaurants (QSRs) is on the rise, confirming suspicions that service quality is dwindling in many of these establishments. The 2024 QSR Reputation Ranking report by Chatmeter, an AI-based intelligence company, placed the 25 largest QSRs under the microscope, assessing customer feedback considering aspects such as food and service quality, as well as value. The findings revealed a nearly ubiquitous increase in customer complaints, longer wait times, and considerable challenges with mobile ordering.

John Mazur, Chatmeter's CEO, highlighted the need for QSRs to prioritize customer feedback to make more productive service decisions. "The surge in customer feedback regarding poor service should act as an alarm bell," he argued.

In their effort to comprehend the issues plaguing QSRs, the report's authors utilized AI to evaluate Google reviews of a hundred randomly chosen locations belonging to the 25 biggest QSRs in the United States. The reference period of this study stretched from August 2023 to August 2024, including comparative analysis from the same timeframe in 2022-2023. Key observations from the text analysis indicated escalating problems with staff attitude and frequent mistakes, alongside significantly lowered standards of service and food quality.

The researchers noted a 6.9% increase in reviews where customers referred to "mistakes" and an astounding 21.8% increase in comments about poor staff attitudes. Mentions of managers increased by 14.6% year-over-year, commonly within negative connotations. The report also identified a growing frustration with wait times, with wait-time associated feedback swelling by 8.5% year-over-year.

Another key finding was challenges associated with mobile orders. Despite the promise of convenience, consumers bemoaned the fact that mobile orders often are not ready on time, and frequently play second fiddle to walk-in orders. The study found reviews that mentioned mobile orders had ballooned by 52%.

Price sensitivity persisted among customers, as reviews describing restaurants as “overpriced” shot up by 43.2%. There were also rising reports of price discrepancies between menu listings and the actual checkout cost.

It seems that all these snags are costing QSRs their clientele. Traffic to these venues has registered a visible decline, with a 2.3% drop in Q2 2024, following a stall of 3.5% in Q1.

Even the most highly rated fast food joints were not exempt from criticism. Chick-fil-A emerged as the top performer in the study, followed by Carl’s Jr and Hardee’s, and Arby’s, McDonald's, and Wendy's in the subsequent places. Some of the frequent gripes even with these industry leaders involved long wait times, indifferent attitudes of the managers, and pricing issues.

Mobile feedback, either via reviews or on social media platforms, has emerged as a vital channel for real-time customer feedback. "Every brand should be prepared for the risk of trending on social media--for all the wrong reasons," Mazur warned.